JESTER entered the U.S. as a tourist and overstayed. Despite his status, his mother, Jenny, was still able to file a petition for him. In 2017, Jester applied for a Provisional Waiver which was approved. His lawyer had him return to the Philippines to be interviewed for his green card. However, during the interview, Jester…
THIS Sunday’s episode features Nanay Emi who wanted to legalize her status after she arrived in the U.S. on a tourist visa and overstayed in 2010. After consulting with leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel, she was advised to wait for her son to first legalize his status and become a U.S. citizen. Only…
ON a previous episode of Citizen Pinoy, leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel met with members of SoCal Pinoys, where they talked about the group’s goals and accomplishments, and answered their immigration questions and concerns. In this second installment of this community episode, Atty. Gurfinkel answers more immigration questions from the members of SoCal…
LEADING U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel hosts the almost 50,000-strong SoCal Pinoys of Southern California. Its founder and leader, Charles Chamorro, talks about the group’s mission and accomplishments. Atty. Gurfinkel also answers immigration questions from members of SoCal Pinoys, like “Is there a way for a crewman to legalize his status?,” “Can a woman…
PREVIOUSLY, viewers watched leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel meet with the Fil-Am South Bay Community of San Jose, California, where he highlighted the organization’s mission of supporting one another, especially during the challenging times of the pandemic. In this second installment, Atty. Gurfinkel answers more immigration questions from the local community, like: “Would…
“CITIZEN Pinoy” features a new episode, where the show’s host, leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel, reaches out to various Filipino American community organizations across the U.S. and gets to know more about them. On the premiere of Citizen Pinoy’s community outreach, Atty. Gurfinkel meets the Fil-Am South Bay Community of San Jose, California,…
MIKE (2nd from left) missed the chance to bring his kids to the U.S. due to wrong advice from his well-meaning mother. Mike was petitioned as single by his mother, but she told him not to bring his children along, since their birth certificates had a date of marriage listed. Many erroneously assume that a…
CITIZEN Pinoy features a new episode, where the show’s host, leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel, reaches out to various Filipino American community organizations across the U.S. and gets to know more about them. On the premiere of Citizen Pinoy’s community outreach, Atty. Gurfinkel meets the Fil-Am South Bay Community of San Jose, California,…
LEADING U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel presents another brand-new success story, after he provides the latest immigration developments, as featured on his YouTube channel: US Immigration TV. After the important U.S. immigration highlights, Citizen Pinoy shares an inspiring success story on how a family persevered, despite the many bumps along their immigration journey. Allain…
THIS week’s episode of Citizen Pinoy has love at the center of it all, as we introduce viewers to Wendel, a lonely and depressed person until he met Allen on Friendster, a social networking site, and they became boyfriend and girlfriend. What started as simple chats and jokes, ended up in something serious. Both Wendel…
On Sunday, February 6, he also features another success story that is inspiring and hopeful. Jun (right) was a crewman who jumped ship and overstayed a few months in the U.S. in 2002. He returned to the Philippines in 2003, and in 2007, his mother petitioned him as single. After almost 16 years of waiting,…
ALMITA’S father petitioned her in 2001. However, before her visa was issued, her father died on Christmas Eve of 2014. This resulted in the petition being “revoked.” Her previous lawyer suggested that the family lie about the petitioner’s death, pretending he was alive, and continue pursuing the case. However, Almita’s mother did not want to…
ALMITA’S father petitioned her in 2001. However, before her visa was issued, her father died on Christmas Eve of 2014. This resulted in the petition being “revoked.” Her previous lawyer suggested that the family lie about the petitioner’s death, pretending he was alive, and continue pursuing the case. However, Almita’s mother did not want to…
In 2009, Marie’s mother, a green card holder, petitioned Marie in the F2B category. When the priority date on her petition became current, she consulted with at least four attorneys, all of whom told her that because she was out of status, she had to go back to the Philippines to apply for her immigrant…
In 2009, Marie’s mother, a green card holder, petitioned Marie in the F2B category. When the priority date on her petition became current, she consulted with at least four attorneys, all of whom told her that because she was out of status, she had to go back to the Philippines to apply for her immigrant…
Asia’s King of Talk, Boy Abunda, and U.S. immigration attorney, Michael J. Gurfinkel, lead the discussion in the first virtual forum where Atty. Gurfinkel provides answers and relevant information to viewers’ immigration questions. Nico, from Quezon City, Philippines, would like to know if the name difference on his passport and his birth certificate will be…
WHEN a person is petitioned by a family member or employer, they are ordinarily processed for their immigrant visa or green card based on the priority dates of their country of birth, not their current country of citizenship/nationality. Therefore, if a person was born in the Philippines, but is now a citizen of another country,…
Asia’s King of Talk, Boy Abunda, and leading U.S. immigration attorney, Michael J. Gurfinkel, lead the discussion in the first virtual forum where Atty. Gurfinkel provides answers and relevant information to viewers’ immigration questions. Elaine, from Fairfield, California, wants to know if her sister’s family can be interviewed on an expedited basis. She is worried…
Each month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment-based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority date is…
Many people believe the only way to bring a family member to the U.S. is through a family petition. Auntie Eva started as a caregiver when she first set foot on American soil. Through the years, she was able to put up her own six-bed facility, but desperately needed help. Eva’s niece, Russell, just finished…
ON December 13, 2021 the Department of State (DOS) published a temporary final rule (TFR) allowing consular officers the flexibility or discretion to waive the personal appearance (or interview) of certain repeat immigrant visa applicants: (a) who were previously approved for an immigrant visa in the same classification and on the same basis as their…
THE Department of State (DOS) recently announced a change in policy concerning scheduling of immigrant visa interviews. Previously, immigrant visa interviews were scheduled using a tiered approach to triage immigrant visa applications. The tiers, or order of priority were: Tier 1: immediate relative adoption visas, age out cases, special immigrant visas, and emergency cases; Tier…
MOST people, with family members or employees stranded overseas waiting for their immigrant visa interviews, will find some ray of hope with the news and updates coming from the Department of State’s (DOS) Visa Office. Charlie Oppenheim, the Visa Office Numerical Control Division Chief, and the person in charge of setting the priority dates on…
Cathlene (left) and Corinne (2nd from left) were petitioned by their U.S. citizen father while he was living in the Philippines in 2017. By law, a petitioner must be “domiciled” or living in the U.S. in order for family members to be issued immigrant visas. Since the father was still residing in the Philippines, the…
THANKSGIVING is again being celebrated differently this year. Thankfully, although we are still in the midst of a pandemic, we may finally be able to have a gathering of loved ones, with masks, vaccinations, social distancing, and other protocols. We are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, in all areas of…
THE November priority dates are typically the start of the new “fiscal year” for visas, where a new annual supply of visas is made available. Usually, with a new supply of visas, the priority dates move forward in the various family categories. However, for November 2021, the priority dates did not move at all. They…
Mother Cece (center) petitioned her son Vince in 2001. Because he was out-of-status, and had no section 245(i), he was not eligible to adjust status (apply for his green card) in the U.S. The family went through several attorneys who applied for political asylum, and later obtained an approved provisional waiver, after the regulations came…
DEAR Atty. Gurfinkel: I have been a green card holder for over 5 years, paid my taxes, committed no crimes, and am eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship. However, my spouse is out of status. (He entered as a tourist and overstayed). I reviewed the naturalization application, Form N-400, and there are many questions about…
RONALD was petitioned as Joyce’s fiancé in 2006. While the K-1 petition was approved, his visa was denied after Ronald admitted to the doctors at St. Luke’s that he tried drugs many years ago. Because of that admission, he was banned for life. In 2008, Joyce and Ronald got married, hoping that this would get…
IT can be extremely frustrating about how long USCIS takes to process petitions, extensions, work authorizations, adjustment of status, and applications. For example, at the California Service Center: It can take up to 32 months for USCIS to process an “immediate relative” (IR) petition by a U.S. citizen of their spouse, parent, or minor child….
